Dino Radja is gone.
To the Boston media, this deal was just one of Lin Qi's series of crazy trades that summer. But for 20-year-old Kevin Garnett, it meant something completely different.
Last season, that Croatia was the team's most consistent half-court offense core in the first three quarters. Radja consistently averaged close to 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, handling the team's heaviest low-post ball possession. With him holding the line, rookie Garnett played without any pressure— Garnett only needed to capitalize on mismatches in the second unit, sinking a few wide-open long two-pointers, or focusing all his energy on running all over the court.
Fast breaks, defense, switching, fighting for offensive rebounds—all to create opportunities for others.
Deep down, Garnett actually prefers to play like this. He enjoys passing, he enjoys facilitating, and he enjoys using his 2.11-meter height to dominate the offense like a point guard. Moreover, at this point, he is too thin; he simply doesn't have the core strength to withstand the muscular, burly interior players in the low post.
But now, Radja is gone.
That cleared penalty area, along with the weighty position of "the team's first choice for attacking play," was clearly handed over to this 20-year-old by Lin Qi.
Garnett began to resist.
On the fifth day of the training camp, this awkwardness came to the forefront for the first time.
Adelman split the team into two groups for a full-court scrimmage. With the first lineup on the court, Sam Cassell and Eddie Jones began frequently passing the ball to Garnett.
This is Adelman's intention. This season, Garnett must become the true axis of the team's offense.
Garnett seemed extremely uncomfortable on offense. When the ball reached the low post, facing P.J. Brown's seasoned muscles, he instinctively felt he would be at a disadvantage in the physical confrontation as soon as he prepared to drive in. Instead of trying to turn around or force a drive, he almost instinctively passed the ball back to Sam Cassell at the top of the key.
For three consecutive possessions, whenever Garnett received the ball, he would quickly pass it away as if he'd been burned. He preferred to position himself higher to screen for his teammates.
Adelman, standing on the sidelines, frowned deeply.
" Kevin!" Sam Cassell finally snapped, slapping his thigh and yelling at the low post, "I gave you the ball, so why are you passing it out like that? We're clearing space for you!"
Garnett's face turned bright red. He opened his mouth, but couldn't find a way to refute it.
In the next possession, Sam Cassell went all out, driving to the basket and drawing a double team before forcibly passing the ball to Garnett in the low post, then glaring at him to force him to shoot.
Garnett had no choice but to grit his teeth and try to use his height and speed to face up against P.J. Brown. However, his footwork in the low post was not solid enough at this point. The moment he stopped the ball in the mid-range, Brown roughly pushed forward with his chest. Garnett lost his optimal shooting rhythm in the physical confrontation and managed to release the ball, which bounced off the rim and flew out of bounds.
The second unit grabbed the rebound. Price advanced the ball, set a high screen, and passed it to the weak side. Mullin stood in the corner, dribbled, jumped, and hit an open three-pointer.
The starting lineup's offense faltered due to Garnett's hesitation, allowing the second unit to go on a 9-2 run. Garnett stood at center circle, watching the score widen, a rare look of frustration flashing in his eyes.
After practice that day, Garnett sat alone on the physiotherapy bed by the court, his head covered with a towel, looking sullen.
Sam Mitchell changed into casual clothes, picked up two bottles of water, and sat down next to Garnett. The 33-year-old veteran was the most senior player on the team and had been Garnett's mentor since his rookie year.
"What's wrong, kid?" Mitchell shoved the water into his hand.
" Sam," Garnett pulled off the towel, his voice low, "Am I simply not up to the task?"
"Before, with Dino around, I knew what I was supposed to do. I ran the ball, I rebounded, I set up the ball for you guys." Garnett gripped his water bottle, a little anxious. "But now everyone's just throwing the ball at me, making me their first choice. The moment I get the ball, all I can think about is how to get back on defense if I miss. I'm afraid of letting everyone down, and I'm afraid of letting Mr. Lin Qi down too."
Mitchell listened and smiled calmly.
" Kevin, I've played for over a decade and seen countless talented young players. In this league, the vast majority of big men never get to hear their teammates yell 'Here's the ball, you finish!' because head coaches and point guards simply don't trust them."
Mitchell looked into Garnett's overly bright eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately.
" Sam Cassell yelled at you on the court not because you missed a shot, but because you clearly had the ability to take down the opponent, but you chose to pass the ball to someone else. That's trust, Kevin. The whole team believes in you, the coach is begging you to score, and you actually treat it as torture? You're actually afraid."
"Sigh... it's normal to be afraid. But the moment the ball is in your hands, you can only think about one thing..."
"I'll handle this ball."
"Smash that damn basketball into the hoop!"
That evening, Lin Qi summoned Mitchell to the general manager's office.
"I saw everything that happened in today's competition." Lin Qi looked down at a high-level data table compiled by Xia Tian.
"That kid's selflessness is ingrained," Mitchell sighed. "He's not fully developed yet, and when he's going up against P.J. Brown and Big Ben in the low post, he always feels insecure. He's too eager to pass the ball to someone in a better position."
In the original timeline, Garnett, who debuted in Minnesota, gave Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders a lot of headaches. Flip Saunders once complained that Garnett would even give up a dunk if his teammates left even a tiny opening.
"He has a kind of obsessive-compulsive passing disorder; he always feels that not passing is selfish, it's betrayal," Flip Saunders once told reporters helplessly. "But I yell at him in the locker room every day. In this league, the top superstars have to learn to solve problems on their own, even when facing double teams."
This inherent selflessness became a fatal weakness in Garnett's past life, limiting him from becoming a super hard-hitting killer.
Sometimes, what the team needs isn't the most logical pass, but rather you overpowering your opponent and throwing the ball into the basket.
Lin Qi knew very well that if this wasn't corrected beforehand, Garnett would eventually go down the same path: the whole league praised his selflessness, but the coach forced him to be selfish every day.
Lin Qi traded away Radja and made numerous other trades in the summer, not to have Garnett play as a 2.11-meter point guard here.
"I can give him the best defensive system in the league, with Mutombo and Horry guarding his back. Even if he misses ten shots in a row on offense, we can still win with our defense." Lin Qi looked at Mitchell, "But he has to overcome this mental hurdle himself. Tomorrow you keep an eye on him, and if he passes the ball out again, have Sam Cassell keep yelling at him."
"I've set up the stage for him; he needs to learn how to perform on it, instead of hiding under the scaffolding."
Over the next few days of training, Garnett's aura changed.
Mitchell's words lingered in the minds of young people for a long time. At this juncture, what this 20-year-old lacked most was not technology, but the confidence to become a core player.
Once again, it was a five-on-five situation within the team. Sam Cassell, facing a double team at the top of the arc, once again lobbed the ball into the low post.
Garnett received the ball in the mid-range on the right side. This time, he didn't rush to push the ball to the outside. P.J. Brown behind him was still using his strong body to block his back.
Garnett steadied himself. His mind flashed through the details of his footwork, painstakingly gleaned from watching video replays in the empty arena over the past few days. Without hesitation, he made his decision.
With a probing step and a half-turn of his body, he used his superior wingspan and height to forcefully pull up over Brown's block attempt.
Mid-range jump shot.
Swish. The basketball swished cleanly into the net.
"That's right! Kevin!" Sam Cassell clapped enthusiastically at the top of the arc.
In the next possession, the second unit began to double -Garnett early. Garnett didn't panic. He raised the basketball high with both hands, using the height to see the defensive route clearly, and made a precise diagonal pass, accurately finding Horry open on the perimeter.
Horry received the ball and hit a three-pointer.
The starting offense was stiff and rigid, but it was instantly revitalized when Garnett started to receive the ball in the low post and draw the defense.
As training ended, Garnett, drenched in sweat, walked past Lin Qi. The 20-year-old hesitated for a moment, then stopped.
"Lin." Garnett scratched his head, his mood much calmer than a few days ago. "Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you for everything you've done this summer, for putting this team in my hands." Garnett looked at Lin Qi. "I wasn't quite used to it at first. But Sam taught me a lot... I'll carry this team from now on."
Lin Qi looked at the young man who was a head taller than him, smiled, and patted him on the shoulder.